Praying Through a Dumb &
Deaf Spirit

This article is drawn from years of prayer experience,
personal prayer ministry,
praying over cities and at the same time, praying personally through
the generational
effects of it for myself. The Lord seems to be highlighting the
symptoms, recognition
of, and work of this particular entity as it has worked with the
spirit of religion
to dull the fire of true Christianity. Its distinct purpose is to
immobilize
the Church spiritually by clouding our perception, blunting our
alertness and
keeping us slightly off target. There are spiritual effects, mental
and emotional
effects, and physical effects. The main target of this spirit is
toward the
mind, dulling the mental and emotional realm in order to curb
spiritual movement
and growth. The usual damage that we all observe is dullness and
spiritual slumber.
For the purpose of aiding recognition, we will mention other
noticeable symptoms
as well.

Spiritual Symptoms:

We have much to say which is hard to explain, since
you have become dull in
your [spiritual] hearing and sluggish, even slothful [in achieving
spiritual
insight]. [Heb. 5:11b Amp.] It didn't say they were always dull, but
had now
become dull! This refers to spiritual slumber, an inability to be
alert by grasping
and understanding spiritual things. Vs. 13 says: For every one that
useth milk
is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. In the
margin
it says: "hath no experience." If we are confused, disordered and dull
in our
mental training, allowing our mind and emotions to wander without
restraint,
it will affect our spiritual growth and make us dull there also.
Soundness of
mind is vitally important to good spiritual growth. It is required
that we discipline
ourselves. How can we ever stand up for the things of God across the
board unless
we first start with all the parts of us coming to attention [standing
up, showing
up and being present].

Just as it is written: "God has given them [Israel] a
spirit of stupor, Eyes
that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this
very day."
[Romans 11:8] And not just Israel, the Church is covered over with it.
Some
Scriptures translate stupor as slumber, but in the margin it uses
remorse. Remorse
is a sorrowing, biting pain over things lost. If one doesn't have a
heart to
hear and obey-slumber or stupor can overtake us. What causes this is
callous
indifference to the things of God! God will magnify His name-we honor
it by
our obedience to it.

Luke 22:45 says "When He [Jesus] rose up from prayer,
and had come to His disciples,
He found them sleeping from sorrow." Sorrow or grief comes from pain
of body
or mind. The disciples were using sleep as a means to escape the
sorrow. Those
who are depressed usually sleep excessively! There can be depression,
hopelessness,
despair, and despondency in evidence as a result of this entity.

Read Is. 42:18-23 Amp. Version. There is a call for
the deaf to hear and the
blind to see, it is liken to the command given to the man with the
withered
hand to stretch it out-even though he could not-when he attempted, he
was healed.
God magnifies instruction and revelation in our midst, it is up to us
to heed.
Isaiah 42:22 says that they were robbed and plundered because they did
not magnify
instruction and revelation. The same blindness occurred when Jesus
came, they
did not recognize Him, nor did they know the day of their visitation.
The influence
of this spirit dilutes the importance of the Word [instruction] and
causes the
prophetic voice [revelation] to be diminished. In certain locales,
anyone with
a prophetic voice will have to fight for clarity. And, there will be
difficulty
in getting, hearing and remembering prophetic words. It is serious not
to recognize
what the Lord is doing and where He is doing it! For instance, when
the Lord
breathes on a place and salvations begin to be the main happening, it
is harmful
not to recognize the work of God, perhaps calling it the work of Satan
because
it has not come in a way that was expected. The turning of hearts to
God is
always considered good fruit!

Mental and Emotional Symptoms:

Flight Patterns: There is a running away mentally and
emotionally to deflect
or avoid something. If this is a well-worn track, one will find
themselves gone
and not realize exactly when they left. These can be long standing
patterns
of mental flight that can show up as fantasy or unrestrained
imagination. If
one gets too creative here, it is easy to come up with a supposition
based on
no solid foundation, then there follows delusion, deception or some
other form
of non-reality causing fantasy and reality to intermingle. One can
lose the
distinct line between what is fact and what is fiction. Biblical
"soundness
of mind" calls for distinct lines between reality and fantasy. When we
allow
our minds to wander around in places, a process unknowingly begins
that gradually
takes us beyond reality. We can then lose the ability to function
rationally,
which can be the beginning of problems leading to mental instability
or insanity.

Selective tuning out: This is a flight pattern
also, but not necessarily
for the purpose of embracing fantasy, one could tune out conversation
that isn't
interesting or tune out sermons or parts of the bible that one doesn't
believe
nor embrace. When one tunes out-they have removed themselves from
being present
to the situation at hand.

Denial: Most denial lies in the unreality of a
situation. The fact of
not being in touch with the reality of a situation comes from not
seeing or
hearing accurately or being dulled. This spirit works against
awareness, sensitivity,
keenness, and alertness for one's self and others.

Detachment: A state of aloofness for
protection. The spiritual counter
for detachment is to engage. We have to engage the Lord and we need to
engage
in every aspect of our daily walk. It is unhealthy emotionally to
disengage
and detach.

Confusion: slow learner: Slow in understanding
[this often only applies
to spiritual apprehension]. I have observed people alertly read the
newspaper
and retain every word, but fall asleep reading the bible. Or read
Sports Illustrated
from cover to cover, remembering stats and details about every sports
personality,
but could not remember the details of a sermon. There can be
interference and
blockage in learning and retaining [especially spiritual material] and
actual
manipulation of cell structure as in Alzheimer's, ADD and other mental
disorders.

Physical Symptoms:

The more destructive side of a dumb/deaf spirit is
portrayed in Mark chapter
9. Let's look at some of these symptoms: Vs. 17b-18 Teacher, I brought
my son
to You, for he has a dumb spirit. And wherever it lays hold of him [so
as to
make him its own], it dashes him down and convulses him, and he foams
[at the
mouth] and grinds his teeth, and he [falls into a motionless stupor]
and is
wasting away; and I asked Your disciples to drive it out, and they
were not
able [to do it]. [Amp. Version]]

Notice these particular points: [1] It lays hold,
takes or seizes the boy-to
take by force or possess at will by force, to destroy or hurl at will,
very
destructive. [2] It dashes, tares or throws and convulses-throws down
and convulses,
epilepsy, a strong force that has the ability to jerk the body. [3] He
foams
and grinds or gnashes his teeth; to grate the teeth in frenzy. [4]
Falls or
pines away-falls into a motionless stupor and is wasting away. The
main characteristic
is wasting or dryness, to shrivel or dry up mentally. We have looked
at this
particular characteristic throughout other Scriptures.

Vs. 19 Doubt and unbelief, hopelessness

Vs. 20 This spirit loves to manifest and draw a crowd.

Vs. 22 Intending to kill the boy-suicide-what would look like
self-destruction
is an evil spirit ministering.

In Luke 9:39, another characteristic is addressed and
it is the symptom of
bruising. "And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out;
it convulses
his so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great
difficulty,
bruising him." Bruising in the Greek is sun-tree'- bo meaning to crush
completely,
shatter, broken-hearted. This is done by rubbing, rutting or making a
worn track.
It also means to break the power of someone, to deprive of physical
strength,
spiritual strength and mental soundness. Sun-tree-bo comes from a root
"trauma"
which means to wound. We have prayed for people who have experienced
the bruising
effect of this spirit, and the patterns are very ingrained-every thing
is turned
against them. Even those words or events that most of us would
consider good,
somehow are received as negatives. All of this is turned in toward
oneself,
the cutting and blunting as a dull or blunt weapon that is not sharp.
Simply
put, one is dulled in perception. The strength of this spirit begins
to sap
the natural and spiritual strength of a person so that it can overcome
them.

Eye and ear diseases, a ringing in the ears, accidents
at specific intersections,
being clumsy or accident prone [given to accidents] are also symptoms
to look
for.

If we are praying against a dumb and deaf spirit for
someone, it is going to
minister doubt and unbelief that we can affect a release for the one
being prayed
for. Please keep in mind, it takes much prayer to dislodge this
spirit-one comes
through degree by degree by degree. So, what is the main fruit that we
should
look for and how do we displace this spirit? There will be evidence of
dullness
and lethargy, slumber and stupor; an inability to understand clearly
and very
likely various degrees of doubt and unbelief. If we recognize any of
these particular
fruits, we must then choose the opposite fruit. Girding up in
spiritual alertness
with prompt obedience helps to break off the bad fruit along with an
appropriate
mode of prayer to break the strength of the spirit behind it all! We
attack
the spirit and the spirit's influence with prayer and obedience. We
should pray
to be energized with spiritual alertness, to be quick in
understanding; and
to be spiritually awakened as we covenant to be more obedient in
hearing and
doing. It is my firm conviction that God in His unending mercy gives
us growing
grace and will aid us in loosing ourselves from this or any contrary
influence.
Be blessed in your hearing, heeding and doing!